Posted on 06/27/2013 10:54:13 PM PDT by prisoner6
Dozens of birdwatchers who travelled to a Scottish island to see an extremely rare swift have been left distraught after it was killed by a wind turbine.
Around 40 people were watching the White-throated Needletail, the world's fastest flying bird, on the Isles of Harris when the tragedy happened.
Sightings of the bird have only been recorded eight times in the UK in nearly 170 years, most recently in 1991, prompting around 80 ornithologists to visit the island in the hope of catching a glimpse.
David Campbell, from Surrey, told BBC Scotland the incident took place late on Wednesday afternoon. Speaking as he made his way home, he said: “We just watched the whole thing with dismay."
Josh Jones, of Bird Guides, a specialist website for ornithologists, said he had spoken to witnesses, who had seen the bird fly straight into one the turbine’s blades. He said: “It is ironic that after waiting so long for this bird to turn up in the UK it was killed by a wind turbine and not a natural predator.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Just another one of those unintended consequences. :)
We have been seeing more and more of them lately. Have one (don’t know if it’s the same one) perches near the top of the tallest pine in our yard. Beautiful.
It is not the first time a bird-watching trip has ended in tragedy. On a previous outing, a group of twitchers in the Hebrides had seen a migratory wryneck hit by a train.
Well, if it's not one thing it's another (and if "twitchers" does NOT mean bird watchers, I probably DON'T want to know...).
Saving the planet. One rare bird at a time.
Idiots.
This is quite hard for me to believe, got a link? Wind isn't highly concentrated energy, short of a violent storm. The windmill extracts energy from the wind or it would not work. It seems unlikely there is enough pressure to crush an animal with a very small surface area.
I once read you can hit a bat by swinging a stick in the air, but it never worked for me when I tried in my more mischievous days.
Now, as a sort of penance, I have two bat houses on the sides of my house.
Well, if it's not one thing it's another (and if "twitchers" does NOT mean bird watchers, I probably DON'T want to know...).
Given that there are no trains in the Hebrides, that was quite an achievement.
well done...
Yes, the swift hit the fan.
Isn't this Darwin's theory at work? If you are too stupid to avoid a 100' blade,you shouldn't breed.
So, why are the lib bird watchers so upset?
The bird died to prevent global warming. Libs should take a clue.
Very interesting, many thanks for the info!
What movie was it?
I used to hate bats until I heard that one bat can eat 50-80 thousand insects in a night. I looked it up. Some say that’s it but the real numbers are in the 4 digit range. Still plenty to make me like them now.
How much more cost do you think it will be when the government makes the power companies put a shield around the blades like a regular fan???????????????
BOHICA Again!!!!!!!!!!!
More quality reporting by the Daily Mail. Or perhaps it was a wind turbine disguised as a train.
Even better if someone got a video of it. It would seem out of 80 people watch there has to be at least one.
Lol. It's sort of an inside joke for those who've seen the movie. Those who haven't won't relate anyway.
You can always do a search on the dialog and find out the movie, which in this case is "The Men Who Stare at Goats."
If you haven't seen it, rent it! I found it highly entertaining. In fact, I think it's about time to see it again.
Maybe they should put warning labels on these things. Translated, of course, into the language of every possible bird species.
Sorry, don’t have a link. My BiL is a retired research engineer, rather famous for his nuclear rocket fuel work. He started studying wind turbines after a wind farm went in behind his house and has testified before the Idaho State Legislature on the issue. He’s the one who gave me the information.
Sorry, don’t have a link. My BiL is a retired research engineer, rather famous for his nuclear rocket fuel work. He started studying wind turbines after a wind farm went in behind his house and has testified before the Idaho State Legislature on the issue. He’s the one who gave me the information.
Do the rotating blades possibly disrupt the bat’s radar system?
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